Slog News & Arts

Line Out

Music & Nightlife

« Bush-Bashing for Fun and Profi... | Currently Hanging »

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Collectors of the Moment Have Spoken

posted by on May 14 at 9:59 AM

Christies-1y2.jpg

Lucien Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping (1995) has sold for $33.6 million at Christie’s in New York, beating the record for the price of a work of art by a living artist sold at auction. (Hear all those qualifiers? Hell, the whole thing is a qualifier. Don’t shoot the messenger. Is this thing worth $33.6 million? How on earth would I know what the value of $33.6 million is? I have $22 in my wallet in ones, and it’s a good day.)

RSS icon Comments

1

after the jump, honey, after the jump. definitely not safe for work. she's NEKKID!!!

Posted by scary tyler moore | May 14, 2008 10:06 AM
2

The only reason anyone has $22 in ones in their wallet in the morning is because of the strip club the night before...

Posted by JGisaLB | May 14, 2008 10:28 AM
3

snarky, sizeist comment that belittles both the monetary value or the object & the physical beauty of the painting subject.

Posted by max solomon | May 14, 2008 10:41 AM
4

it much better than most of the currently hanging shit you post

Posted by art vandelay | May 14, 2008 10:45 AM
5

I'd tap that

Posted by freshnycman | May 14, 2008 10:52 AM
6

#4 Yes.

Posted by tabletop_joe | May 14, 2008 10:55 AM
7

That kind of art market is for people wanting to blow their ill-gotten gains on something that will attach the adjective "cultured" to them. It doesn't matter in the slightest if it's good or not; it matters if it makes its new owner's prick tingle (because of the price tag, not the nude).

That kind of art no longer means anything to anyone. It's just a symbol of bankruptcy: our bankruptcy.

Posted by Fnarf | May 14, 2008 11:14 AM
8

Well there are a few factors that make this painting worth $33.6 million. The history surrounding it being painted, the Leigh Bowery connection. He himself was painted by Lucien Freud and that painting is quite well known too.
Another is investment in art. it is like relistate. Some things are just worth more because of investing and the business of art.
Large prices for work like this create an important art climate. These paintings fetching high prices make for a collectors market. Which we are in right now and most artists will benefit all they way down to a small gallery in Seattle. Art is now a great investment. I myself just sold out a show and my head is still reeling from the spin off from doing so. Galleries interested in my work and another show happening in the fall.
The Fraud is at the top of the stack. His paintings brings interest to the art scene in general. Many artist now will be able to make a living from doing what they like to do, pay the bills and quit the second job because of this resurgence in buying art created by attention to paintings like this. It is an industry. If you can keep your head together when creating art and understand where you fit in then you will be ok.

Posted by -B- | May 14, 2008 11:16 AM
9

@ #8: Nice discussion! :) Congrats on the sold out show too! :)

Posted by Kristin Bell | May 14, 2008 7:33 PM
10

This is NOT the Cornball Freud.

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | May 14, 2008 8:24 PM

Comments Closed

In order to combat spam, we are no longer accepting comments on this post (or any post more than 14 days old).